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New Castle F.C.
(as East Bonneville F.C.) | dissolved = | ground = Redfield | capacity = 32,000 | owner = | chairman = | manager = Mark Rae | coach = | currentleague = League of Southern St. Gregory (1973-79) League A (1979-present) | currentposition = | lastseason = | lastleague = League A | lastposition = 3rd | current = | website = | firstgame = | largestwin = | worstdefeat = | topscorer = | fansgroup = | honours = | American = }} New Castle Football Club is a professional football club based in Bonneville, St. Gregory. The team plays in League A of the St. Gregory Football Association. New Castle were founded as East Bonneville Football Club in 1973 and were members of the League of Southern St. Gregory before turning professional and becoming a founding member of the SGFA in 1979. They have played in the top division of Gregorian football ever since. They changed their name in 1986 to more closely reflect their locale, in the New Castle neighborhood on Bonneville's east side. Historically, New Castle are one of St. Gregory's most successful clubs, having won five League A championships (third-most of any club) and four SGFA Cup titles (third-most). Their first four League A titles came during a span of five seasons between 1987 and 1991, which is a success rate no other club has matched at any point in SGFA history. They have a fierce local rivalry with Bonneville United, known as the Bonneville derby. The current manager is Mark Rae, who previously played for the club for 10 seasons. History East Bonneville years (1973-1986) Bonneville – the most populous city in St. Gregory – was a burgeoning hotbed of football in the 1960s and '70s as interest in a professional league in the country grew. The amateur League of Southern St. Gregory (est. 1964) had seen several Bonneville clubs come and go, many of them having the players to compete but lacking the financial support or the direction to survive in a rapidly-expanding league. In 1973, a group of local players got together and agreed to pool their resources to form three distinct Bonneville clubs that would take each of the city's neighborhoods and develop local talent. The three clubs were known simply as East Bonneville, West Bonneville and North Bonneville and, as part of a gentlemen's agreement, made their primary colors red, white and blue, respectively, as an homage to the French roots in the city. When the SGFA was finally formed in 1979, the three LSSG clubs that joined the SGFA as the six original professional clubs were all based in Bonneville. One of these clubs, based in the city's inner-east at the time, became known as East Bonneville Football Club. East Bonneville played the first league match of the inaugural SGFA Championship season on October 20, 1979, going down 2-1 in defeat to Zane Hills F.C. at the Cardinal Street ground. They recorded their first win one week later, defeating Little Rouge F.C. 2-1 at Parc Bourgogne. The team finished as runners-up in the final standings behind cross-town rivals, North Bonneville. In 1985, the club purchased a site for a new stadium in the New Castle neighborhood further east of the city, and announced that the team would be moving to the stadium upon its completion. Later that year, the club recorded its first-ever trophy when they defeated FC Chapman in the 1985 SGFA Cup Final. At the conclusion of the following season, 1985-86, East Bonneville announced they would be changing their name to New Castle Football Club to more accurately reflect their new locale and to better distinguish themselves from the other two Bonneville clubs. Name change and dynasty years (1986-91) The new identity brought with it instant success, as New Castle were crowned League A champions for the first time in 1986-87. They would go on to defend their title the following season, securing the championship on the final day of the season in their last-ever game at Cardinal Street. A steady decline (1991-2002) Following the success of 1991, the decade continued with a series of near misses. New Castle finished the next three seasons in second place in League A, and lost the 1993 SGFA Cup Final in extra time to first-time winners, FC Chapman. In 1995, the club acquired New Jersey native midfielder Mark Rae from the North Jersey Imperials. Rae would go on to play 10 seasons for New Castle and set several club records. New Castle did not see another top three finish in League A for the rest of the 1990s, and their next appearance in the SGFA Cup Final did not come until 1999, resulting in another loss to Chapman. Resurgence (2002-2014) New Castle began the 2002-03 season in style, by becoming the first team in over a calendar year to defeat cross-town rivals Bonneville United (who had gone undefeated the entire 2001-02 season and had also won the 2002 SGFA Shield). As United faltered, New Castle - with Rae at the helm and a 19 year-old phenom, Jesús Luna, providing extra offense - roared back to the top of the table and hung on to win their first League A championship in 12 years. In 2011, the club hired Englishman Rob Lockwood to manage the club. Despite losing his first match, the 2011 SGFA Shield to cross-town rivals Bonneville United, Lockwood guided the club to third place in League A in his first season. By the midway point of the 2013-14 season, the goals had dried up and New Castle were in 11th place in League A, as well as having been knocked out of the SGFA Cup in the second round by FC Chapman. Lockwood was fired by the club during the January transfer window and Rae was hired as his successor. Mark Rae era (2014-) Under Rae's guidance, New Castle finished 2013-14 in a much more respectable 6th place and Rae immediately set about rebuilding the roster with a focus on offense. Luna was sold to Zane Hills and replaced by David Oakley, signed from FC Chapman, as well as international acquisition Gabriel DeJesús Villalba. The 2014-15 season started with a home win over Luna and Zane Hills and, thanks to a 12-match unbeaten run between January and March, ended with the club finishing in 5th place, their best League A position since 2011-12. They also reached the semi-finals of the SGFA Cup, but were defeated by Banks City. Stadium :Main article: Redfield :See also: Cardinal Street The team plays its home games at the 32,000-seat Redfield stadium in east Bonneville, which opened in 1988. Prior to this, the team played at the now-demolished Cardinal Street ground. Colors, crest and nickname New Castle have been called the Reds and worn an all-red kit since their establishment in 1979. The three Bonneville clubs - East, West and North - wore red, white and blue respectively, an homage to the French roots in the city. The color is also said to have been chosen due to the team being formerly based at Cardinal Street, a reference to the red shade of a cardinal's clerical dress. A movement to nickname the team "the Cardinals" in the 1980s was met with overwhelming resistance from fans and was abandoned. The crest depicts a rising sun, a symbol of the club's location on Bonneville's east side and their days as East Bonneville. 'Kits' New Castle's uniforms are currently supplied by Puma. The shirt sponsor is ING Group. Support New Castle are one of the most well supported clubs in St. Gregory. The club's traditional heartland covers the mostly working-class eastern region of Bonneville, however they have gained a wide supporter base among neutrals around the country due to their colors and many of their traditions being shared with Liverpool F.C.. The team's home stadium, Redfield, was named as an homage to Anfield in Liverpool and the club adopted "You'll Never Walk Alone" as its anthem in the mid-1980s. Due to the club's name (in turn taken from the neighborhood in eastern Bonneville where they are based), they have also attracted support from fans of another English club, Newcastle United. Rivalries :Main article: Bonneville derby New Castle's traditional rivals are Bonneville United, a rivalry which goes back to the latter club's beginnings as North and West Bonneville, who were both founded at the same time as East Bonneville. The rivalry which had begun in the LSSG and the first years of the SGFA escalated when North and West merged to form United in 1988. Matches between the two are known as the Bonneville derby. Players 'Current squad' : As of July 5, 2016 Note: Players without a flag are from St. Gregory. Players with an asterisk (*) are from outside the United States or its territories, or have represented a non-U.S. territory at international level, but hold either citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S. and thus do not count towards the league cap on foreign players. Out on loan Reserves and Academy :Further information: New Castle F.C. Reserves and Academy Former players :Further information: Category:New Castle F.C. players Honors * League A: 5 :1986-87, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1990-91, 2002-03 * SGFA Cup: 4 :1984-85, 1988-89, 1989-90, 2010-11 Category:New Castle F.C. Category:Club pages